Building Up for Romance
by daisyscrapper
Summary: Dr. Keller has a date that goes wrong, leading Ronon to come to her rescue. Ronon agrees to train her in self defense. Avoiding men, except for her training with Ronon, she finds herself falling in love with him.
1. Chapter 1

_Updated to correct typos on 3_-14. _This is not a new story._

Jennifer and Teyla grinned at each other as they were beamed down to Earth. At last! Jennifer thought, eager to return for a few days to her world. It was Teyla's first visit to Earth. Jennifer planned on showing her pregnant friend a good time.

The military had rented out an entire hotel for the night and stocked the business with military-only personal. Not that any business would be discussed in the open. The military wanted a relaxing setting for the members of the Atlantis team to spend their Christmas holiday.

Throwing their bags into the backseat of their rented car, Jennifer drove them immediately to the nearest shopping mall. Teyla, who had been begging for Jennifer to tell her more about this fantastic place she had heard about, all but ran out of the car when they pulled to a stop.

Jennifer and Teyla were laughing the moment their feet hit the concrete. Jennifer's first stop was a full service salon, where her and Teyla would be primped and pampered for the next four hours.

Laying face down, naked from the waist up, Jennifer groaned as the woman massaged every tender area on her back. Teyla, who was receiving a mud facial, was sighing at the relaxing rhythm that the attendant was using.

"This is the life," Jennifer murmured.

The attendant laughed. "You both act like you've never done this before."

Teyla nodded, "I haven't, but she has. This was the best idea she's had since I've met her."

Shortly later, the girls were polished to a shine. They each had their hair cut, colored, styled, and nails done.

"Next stop for me," Jennifer said. "A clothing store to buy anything that's not gray, blue, or black."

Teyla looked at Jennifer. "Do they make clothing for women expecting babies on Earth?" she asked.

Jennifer nodded. "I'm all ready ahead of you," she said. "Motherhood is on the next floor. We can get you a dress there for the dinner and party tonight."

Teyla smiled. "Wonderful," she said. "So, are you going to ask anyone to be your escort?"

A sheepish look fell over Jennifer's face. "Nah," she said. "I'm too chicken. But if someone asks me, I'll definitely say yes."

Teyla said, "Really?"

Jennifer nodded. "Why?"

"Well," Teyla began as she waddled into the dress store. "Someone did mention they were interested in going with you. But I guess they decided not to ask you, thinking you maybe had a date already."

They dropped the subject while Jennifer looked for a dress for the function later on that night. Both dresses she picked out herself were nice, but they didn't differ from the other black cocktail dresses she had hanging up in her closet. Teyla, roaming around the store, came back into the dressing room and threw another dress over the dressing room door to Jennifer.

"Here, try this one," Teyla said. Minutes later, she heard Jennifer call to her.

"Teyla," she said. "What do you think?" She walked out into the room. The dress came about three inches above her knee, was held up by thin spaghetti straps, and clung to her slim figure.

Teyla's eyes gleamed. "Now that is the dress you need to get."

Satisfied, but a little uncomfortable with the tightness of the dress, Jennifer took a risk and bought the dress, along with a pair of strappy high-heeled shoes.

"So, Jennifer," Teyla began. "I heard from Ronon you had your first training session before we embarked for Earth. How did it go?"

Jennifer blushed. "Well, he didn't kill me. But I don't think he was extremely impressed with what I knew before coming into to the session. I'll say this, for a tough looking man, he certainly has patience."

Teyal grinned, knowing that her friend, the warrior from Sateda, has been developing a crush on the doctor for some time.

On their way to Motherhood, Jennifer heard her cell phone ringing. Not used to the sound, she fumbled to find it. She picked it up, even though she didn't recognize the number.

"Yes?" she said.

"Is this Dr. Keller?" the voice asked. "This is Major Yardley. We met a few times on base."

Jennifer recalled the good looking major without further description. "Yes, Major Yardley. Of course I remember you. You were one of the lucky few I never had to stitch up constantly."

The major laughed. "Well, the reason I'm calling was to ask if you had an escort for tonight yet."

Shocked, Jennifer paused. "Actually, no, I don't."

"Well, how about a swing by your hotel room around 6:45 to pick you up?" he said, without even asking her if she wanted to go with him.

Jennifer, thinking that it wouldn't hurt, agreed. Hanging up, she found Teyla frowning. "What's wrong?"

Teyla said, "I hear you now have an escort. Is that who you wanted to go with?"

Jennifer shrugged. "No, but who else would ask me this late in the game?"

Rolling her eyes and thinking of someone, Teyla remained quiet.

Jennifer was ready well before 6:45 and paced around in her room. Her hair was already styled from the salon, so she only had to throw on make-up and perfume before putting on her dress. Looking at herself one more time, she winced how clingy the fabric was and wished she had found something a little more comfortable.

A knock at the door signaled Major Yardley's arrival. Grabbing her purse, she opened the door to greet him.

He was just as she remembered. Tall, good looking, and a little intimidating. Smiling, his eyes traveled down and back up. He took note of the bare skin on her back as she turned to leave.

"Wow," he said. "Dr. Keller, you are even more beautiful than I remembered."

Jennifer blushed and shut the door behind her. "I'm sure I look different from my regular uniform and scrubs."

Walking down to the reception hall, they followed the crowd to look for a table. Spying Teyla and Ronon, Jennifer suggested to try a table over there.

The major shook his head. "I want to get closer. Besides, there's a few people I want you to meet."

Disappointed but willing to cooperate, Jennifer let herself be led to a table of higher ranking military officers. After the introductions were made, they sat down.

Teyla twirled the straw in her non-alcoholic drink Ronon brought to her and leveled a glance at Ronon. Clearly unhappy, even with plates of food at his disposal, she couldn't help feel sorry for him.

"Ronon, I told you," she began. "You should have asked her to come with you tonight. Up until a few hours ago, she would have said yes to anyone."

Ronon glared at her.

"I didn't mean it like that," she laughed. "I meant to say that she didn't seem all that excited about being escorted by the major."

"Yeah, well, that's my luck," he dismissed it.

Meanwhile, Jennifer sat in her chair, bored to tears. The men and women at this table seemed to have one thing in mind- networking. It was all about business, who they knew, rumors they had heard, and so forth. Yardley barely paid attention to her, even when she accidentally spilled her drink half-way through the meal. He just let her clean it up without offering to help.

An hour later, when Jennifer almost had given up hope, he asked her to dance with him. Surprised, she smiled and agreed.

Leading her to the dance floor, he took the long way around. Jennifer passed Teyla, Ronon, and the rest of the crew and waved at them. Once on the dance floor, the major smoothly guided her around the dance floor. He smiled down at her.

"I'm glad you agreed to be my date tonight," he began. "You are very well respected among this group. And it's just my luck that you're the most gorgeous woman in the entire room."

Overwhelmed by his flattery, Jennifer relaxed in his arms. It was the first real conversation they had all night.

Ronon, a few tables away from them, grinded his teeth. He didn't think he would have this reaction if Dr. Keller was dancing with anyone else in the room. Something about Major Yardley always bothered him. He had met Yardley the few times the _Daedalus_ came in. The man seemed like he was only concerned about himself.

Watching the couple make their way from the dance floor, he noticed they were about to leave for the night. Tensing, he tried to figure out an excuse to follow them.

Teyla, who was watching Ronon carefully, squeezed his hand. "Don't even think about it. You had your chance and lost it, my friend."

Sulking, Ronon sank down in his chair.

Bending down to pick up her purse, Jennifer thanked Yardley for asking her to accompany him tonight. Hoping to escape to her room to catch a late night movie, he offered to walk her back.

Trying to fend him off, she realized he was very stubborn. She inwardly groaned, wanting the night to end as soon as possible.

"Come on," Yardley said. "I would not be a gentleman if I didn't escort you safely back to your room."

As they walked up the stairs, she felt uncomfortable, like someone was watching her. And in the back of her mind, she realized anyone watching them may assume they were both retreating to her room to be alone. Hoping that wasn't the case, she quickened up her pace.

When they were approaching her hall off the elevator, Jennifer quickly grabbed the hotel key card out of her purse. Turning at the door, she mustered up a smile.

"Thank you, major, for walking me back," she said. Instead of turning around to return to the party or retreat to his room, Yardley moved closer to her so that she was back up against the door.

"The night doesn't have to end right now, Jennifer," his voice dropped lower. He cupped the back of her head and brought his lips down to meet hers.

Jennifer, disgusted at not seeing his intentions, squirmed and pushed away from him. Irritated, Yardley held her shoulders tightly and moved towards her neck this time.

"Major," she breathed. "Here's a news flash… only one of us is remotely interested in this right now, and it's certainly not me."

Angry, the major pushed her hard against her door and held her shoulder roughly. "Then let me ask you a question," he seethed. "You mean to tell me you wore that dress just for yourself tonight? Don't kid yourself. You wore it to impress me."

His anger both frightened and enraged her. At this point, in the hallway, she still felt somewhat safe, but when he roughly bunched up her dress from the back and assaulted her mouth again, she heard her dress strap tear. With the arm she was trying to push him off with, he gripped it hard around her wrist to prevent her from pushing.

Warning bells went off in her head. Mustering up all the strength she had, she raised her knee to his groin, causing him to double over in pain. Quickly, she turned while he was distracted and let herself into her room. Slamming the door, she rushed to lock it. Backing away from the door, she still didn't feel safe knowing he was still out there. Running to the bathroom, she ran inside and locked the door.

She sat on the ground, in the corner with the lights off, for what seemed like an hour. With her arms wrapped around her body, she shivered while replaying the events of the night. _What had just happened?_ Jennifer knew she should call someone, but she didn't. She was too embarrassed. _What if everyone found out? What if it caused them to doubt her ability as lead chief of medicine on Atlantis?_

It was something that she felt would never happen to her, especially a few feet away from the people she worked with on a daily basis.

Quietly opening the bathroom door, she finally got the courage to exit the bathroom. Checking and rechecking the locks on the door and making sure the room was empty, she took off the dress and laid it across a nearby chair. Her arm ached from where he grabbed her, as well as her neck. Checking in the mirror, she began to see bruising in both areas. Grabbing a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt, she gingerly stepped into the bed, leaving the lights on, and cried herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Hours later, Ronon found himself up early and impatient. He was frustrated from watching Jennifer, dressed and looking amazingly, the previous night. Ronon felt his heart stop when he watched them retreat to her room.

Frustrated, he brightened when he had an idea. Their next training session… although they never set up a time or place, they agreed to do one or two while they were on Earth. Jumping up from bed, he quickly showered and made his way to her room.

Knocking on the door, he realized in the back of his mind that he may find Yardley in the room as well this morning, if his fears were true about last night. Gritting his teeth, he remained at the door. Growing more apprehensive, he waited several more minutes. Knocking again, he finally heard the locks disengage.

He didn't know exactly what to expect, but he didn't expect to see Jennifer, still in the clothes she slept in, with a scared, guarded look in her eyes.

"Ronon?" she asked, somewhat relieved. Although she checked in her peep hole before answering the door, she still didn't understand why he was there.

"Hey," he said. He glanced into her room and breathed a sigh that he didn't hear or see Yardley from his line of vision. "I wondered if you were up for our second session today?"

Jennifer tried clearing her head. She barely got any sleep last night and kept imagining Yardley coming back to her door. Not wanting to be alone, she nodded.

"Do you mind waiting a few minutes for me to get ready?" she asked.

Ronon agreed. "Sure, how about I meet you downstairs?"

Jennifer stepped back into her room. "How about just waiting here?" she suggested. "You can watch TV while I grab a shower."

Taken back, he walked into her room. He thought it was strange when she locked the door behind them, including pulling the chain across. Chalking it up to an Earth thing, he made his way to the chair next to her unmade bed. Tossing him the remote, she gathered a few clothing items and hurried into the bathroom. Hearing the shower and some sort of loud fan turn on, Ronon settled and explored the channels for something interesting to watch.

He heard her step into the shower. Shortly afterward, a light knock sounded at her door. He walked to get it. Struggling with the locks, he opened the door to find a surprised look on Major Yardley's face.

"Ronon?" he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Jennfer," Ronon said, using her first name deliberately, something he hadn't done in front of her yet. He never did like Yardley, and that feeling intensified since he was Jennifer's date last night.

A shadow crossed Yardley's face. He looked angry. Searching Ronon's face, he decided to feel the man out. He wasn't sure if she had reported his actions last night to anyone.

"Look, Ronon," he began. "I'm not sure if Dr. Keller told you, but we had a little disagreement last night. I just wanted to come by and apologize to her."

Ronon stepped back, not budging from the room. "She's showering," he said. "But you're free to wait."

Frustrated that the man wouldn't leave the room, Yardley glared at him. "Nevermind. I'll see her later." The major turned to leave.

Ronon walked back into the room and shut the door. Wondering what the two, who barely knew each other, could have fought about after leaving the party last night, he walked back to the chair. Hearing the shower turn off, he sat back down and pretended to watch whatever news channel was on. His eyes strayed around the room. Clothing fell on him as he shifted in the chair. Recognizing her dress from last night, he picked it up and laid it on the bed. Frowning, he noticed that one strap appeared longer than the other. _No_, he realized. _Ripped_.

His mind started to connect things. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, he waited for her to reappear from the shower. The door opened, letting out a burst of steam and a sweet smelling fragrance into the room. She had brushed back her hair into a neat French braid, and was wearing black running pants and a white tank top. Carrying a sweatshirt over her arm, probably because she was still hot from the shower, he looked at her while setting down the dress.

"Someone stopped by just now," he began, watching her reaction. "Major Yardley just left."

Jennifer dropped the sweatshirt and paled.

Ronon jumped up and walked to her. "You have ten seconds to tell me what happened last night."

She avoided his gaze and picked up the sweatshirt. "Nothing. We just had a disagreement."

Ronon lifted her chin to meet her gaze. Frowning, he noticed that her neck had smudges of what looked like skin colored makeup on it. Thinking it was strange that she didn't have makeup on her face, he picked up the damp towel out of her other hand and wiped it off. She winced in pain. Enraged, he saw the bruising that was already forming on her neck. Scanning her face and arms, he spotted more bruising on her wrists.

"Did he do this to you?" Ronon growled. "And what about the strap ripped from your dress?"

Defeated, she looked up at him. Not saying anything but confirming by her silence, the tears began to flow down her cheek.

Ronon, torn between running out of the room and killing Yardley to comforting her, gently sat her down on the bed.

"Did he… hurt you?" Ronon couldn't bear to ask what was on his mind.

Jennifer shook her head. "I was able to get away from him before he got into the room. I'm just so embarrassed. I can't believe it happened to me." Turning, she gave him a pleading look. "Please, Ronon, don't tell anyone. I'll tell you everything, but I don't want anyone to know."

Ronon sprang up and paced the room. "Tell me a reason why you didn't call someone… Major Sheppard, at the very least."

Wiping her face, Jennifer shook her head. "You don't understand. This happens to many women on Earth, but many other women lie about it and make things up. Now, people never believe a woman when it really does happen because of so many people lying about it. Besides, I don't want anyone to know. I'm supposed to be the leader of medicine on Atlantis. It will make me look incompetent."

Turning to face her, he looked at her, clearly disapproving of her reasons. "I'm not going to force you to report this, but you need to rethink this. You may have to work with him again. What if he is permanently transferred to Atlantis? Are you going to barricade yourself in your room with ten locks on your door every night?"

Shivering at the thought, she looked out the window. Sighing, Ronon walked up to her and helped her to her feet. "OK, Jennifer," he said, using her first name for the first time. "It's your choice. Let's get you out of this room. We won't train today… we'll just go for a run outside."

Thanking him, she followed him to the door.

A few hours later after dropping Jennifer back to her room, Ronon hunted Yardley down. He had promised not to tell anyone about the incident, but he hadn't promised not to kill Yardley. No, he wouldn't kill him. Just mess up that pretty face of his.

Discovering him in the fancy restaurant downstairs, Ronon ignored the military personal at the door who was seeing people to their tables. Passing by familiar faces, including Sheppard's, he ignored everyone until he came to Yardley's table.

"Ronon," he said, a little nervously.

Ronon yanked the man by his shirt and all but dragged him out of the room to the restroom. Sheppard, eying his raging friend, quickly moved to follow them. Luckily, no one else seemed to notice the tension building in Ronon except for the two men who were sitting at Yardley's table and Sheppard, and went about finishing their breakfast. Yardley's friends, two steps behind Sheppard, also followed Ronon and Yardley into the bathroom.

Ronon, once he got Yardley into the room, slammed the man hard against the wall.

"Did you think you would get away with it?" Ronon seethed. "Just because she's not planning on telling anyone doesn't mean I can't kill you right now."

Paling, Yardley tried to call for help. Raging, Ronon landed a hard punch to the man's stomach, then came back with an uppercut and broke Yardley's nose instantly. Blood sprayed everywhere. Hearing people enter the bathroom and yelling Ronon's name, he gathered all his strength and planted a lunging knee into his groin. Whimpering, Yardley sank to the floor.

Sheppard, pulling Ronon off of Yardley, began shouting at Ronon to stop. Ronon, satisfied, complacently let Sheppard lead him out of the bathroom while Yardley's friends went to help the man.

Shouting orders to get medical personal to the men's bathroom, Sheppard shoved Ronon down the hallway and led Ronon to his room. Calling Col. Carter and informing her they had a situation in his room, he glared at Ronon.

"What," he began, "was that all about? You almost killed that man back there."

Ronon flexed his hand, which appeared to be sore from one of the punches he landed on Yardley. Satisfied nothing was broken, Ronon just looked at Sheppard. "Ask Yardley."

Sheppard, flying out of his chair and knocking it down, grabbed Ronon's shirt into his hands and attempted to yank him up. "No, Ronon, you need to do better than that. I don't think you understand what's about to happen. They may kick you out of Atlantis for this."

Ronon, now thinking about the repercussions of his actions, looked away as Col. Carter entered the room.

Carter, calmer than Sheppard, pulled up a chair across from Ronon. She waited a few beats until he looked at her. "I just came from watching an ambulance take Major Yardley to the hospital," she said quietly. "He didn't respond when I asked him what the altercation was about."

Ronon shifted, struggling to avoid her eyes. He highly respected both leaders who were waiting for him to answer their questions. Deciding, he looked up at both of them.

"Look," he said. "I can't tell you everything. That's up to someone else. But I can tell you this. Last night, Major Yardley tried to force himself on to a woman."

Both Sheppard and Carter looked shocked at the admission Ronon just made.

"Who?" Carter said, this time clearly angry.

Ronon met her eyes. "I gave my word not to tell. The woman is terrified right now that others will find out."

Carter, still angry, nodded. "I think I understand her situation. I had a friend who had something similar happen. But this woman needs to realize that if she doesn't report this, it will happen again."

Agreeing, he looked up. "I can try and talk to her again."

Sheppard looked at Carter. "Ronon, as of right now, you're to be confined to this room with guards at the door until we can clear you of charges Yardley will probably press."

Carter shifted to sit on the bed with her hands rubbing her forehead. Sighing, she got up. "For what it's worth," she began. "And off the record… nicely done."

His mouth twitched as she patted his shoulder.

Jennifer ran to Major Sheppard's room after receiving a call there had been a medical emergency and one man had been taken to the hospital. They didn't give her specifics other than to check in with Sheppard.

Confused by the guards at the door, she tried to get by to knock.

"Sorry, doctor, this room is not to be disturbed."

Jennifer glared at him. "I was told to report here."

One of them knocked on the door and entered the room. Jennifer couldn't tell how many people were inside but could hear Carter's voice.

"Yes, let her come in. I need her to take a look at his hand." Carter said.

Jennifer pushed her way in and was shocked to see Ronon, with dried blood covering his chest, massaging his hand while Carter and Sheppard looked up at her.

"What happened?" she asked. Slowly, she began to fear the worst. When she looked into Ronon's eyes, he held her gaze and confirmed her fears.

"Well," Sheppard said dryly. "Our boy Ronon got into a fight at school today, doc."

Carter rolled her eyes. "Doctor, please take a look and see if he broke anything in his hand."

Jennifer nodded, approaching Ronon. She knelt beside him as Carter and Sheppard began talking to each other.

"Ronon," she whispered. "What did you do?"

Ronon looked down at her. "Knocked some sense into Yardley after breakfast. Don't worry, he'll live."

She began checking his fingers for broken bones. "Why did you do that?"

He looked into her eyes. "I can't stand the fear he put into you. I can't stand knowing what he did to you."

Sighing, Jennifer completed examining him. "Is that all his blood?"

Ronon nodded. He noticed Sheppard and Carter had stopped talking and were both looking strangely at the exchange between Jennifer and himself. Whispering, he pleaded with his eyes. "Jen, this is your chance. If you're going to be brave, now is the time."

She looked back at him. Sometime after their run, she came to the decision that she did need to report Yardley. But it didn't make her less afraid of what the reactions would be. Turning, she got up and stood by Ronon's side.

"Doctor?" Carter said, confused.

"Major. Colonel. I need to report an incident involving myself and Major Yardley last night after the party."

Both Sheppard and Carter's eyes widened. "It was you?"

Jennifer, giving Ronon a curious glance, asked "how much do they know?"

Ronon said "Not much, other than he attacked someone last night."

Sinking onto the bed, Jennifer recounted what happened, making sure to clearly remember all of the details. Ronon jumped in only once to point out the bruises on her body.

"Sheppard, get a camera out," Carter said, pulling Jennifer into the bathroom. Closing the door behind them, Carter turned on the lights and had Jennifer take off her shirt, leaving only a tank top on her body. She snapped pictures of her bruised neck as well as the ugly purple mass of bruises on her arm. "Is there more?" Carter asked softly.

Jennifer nodded and turned. She discovered a few new ones after showering again after their run trailing down her back.

"He didn't force himself into your room, right?" Carter asked without asking coming out to ask if he did more than bruise her.

Jennifer shook her head.

Once they were done, Jennifer pulled her shirt back on and followed Carter back into the bedroom. She noticed that Sheppard was being incredibly quiet.

"Look," she began. "I know that this thing is reported often. And I know it's his word against mine."

Sheppard whipped his neck to face her. "Don't even go there, doc," he said. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to handle this." Sheppard paced. "I feel responsible. Major Yardley has been in my command several times. I never quite liked the man but he never gave me a solid reason to yank him off my team. Just know I believe every word you just said. I'm just having a hard time believing I didn't see this coming. He never acted right around women, but I never would have thought this would happen."

Carter stood in the middle of the room. "Everyone needs to understand that this was no one's fault except Yardley's. Especially you, Jennifer." Carter sat beside her. "Nothing you did could have warranted those actions."

Jennifer nodded. "It's funny. Until it happens to you, you always think it's stupid that women blame themselves. The first thing I thought was that I may have led him on, but I know I didn't. I actually had a horrible time with him last night and only agreed to go because he asked me."

Sheppard tried to ease the tension in the room. "Well, next time you go on a date, we'll have Ronon be your chaperone," he joked, but noticed that Ronon wasn't laughing. Wondering if something was there other than friendship, Sheppard filed that away in his head to ask him later. Tired, Jennifer asked permission to leave the room to get more sleep before lunch.

An idea formed in his head. "Wait a minute," Sheppard said after she left. "Call security, colonel. I know this hotel prides itself on security for its guests. I believe each floor has several camera's throughout the hallway. Let's see if we can use that."

Sure enough, the tapes were brought up immediately. Colonel popped in the tapes and security pinpointed, with Ronon's help, the time that Jennifer and Yardley left the reception hall.

Sheppard noticed Ronon's reaction as the tape clearly caught everything that Jennifer had said. "Are you handling this ok, buddy?"

Ronon gritted his teeth. "Should have killed him," he said without apology.

The news of Ronon and Yardley's fight spread quickly throughout the hotel. Rumors were kept to a minimum, but the consensus was that Ronon didn't like Yardley's attitude towards him being an outsider and not from Earth. Carter and Sheppard both filed charges against Yardley but kept the document sealed for only necessary personal to see. Grateful, Jennifer was happy that no one had found out yet. News had gotten back to her that Yardley pleaded guilty and was immediately transferred out of Stargate command.

Meanwhile, the Atlantis crew packed up for their journey back. Gathering up courage, Jennifer sat next to Ronon on the way home. Since all charges were cleared from him since Yardley declined to file any of his own, he was not in jeopardy of losing his place on the Atlantian team.

"Ronon," she said. "I just wanted to thank you for your help. With everything. I don't think I could have got through all of this without you."

Ronon nodded, not wanting to think about what happened on that tape anymore.

Jennifer hesitated. "Ronon, would you mind continuing your training with me? Now more than ever, I feel like I have a lot to learn."

Ronon grinned. "It looks like your knee maneuver is right on."

Laughing for the first time about the ugly event, she leaned back and relaxed. "Yeah, well, I'm not about to place myself in a situation like that again anytime soon. I've sworn off men," she said. "Well, except you."

Ronon almost choked at her words. Not noticing, she continued. "But I don't want you to take up your time when I'm not offering you anything in return." Ronon continued to find it hard to breathe with every word she spoke. Oblivious, she continued. "So, what can I give you in return for all of the lessons?"

Trying to get it together, he struggled to not say what was on his mind. Thinking, he quickly came up with an idea. "First aid," he said. "You're not always with us and either Sheppard or myself always get injured. Teach me the basics and we'll call it even."

Surprised but pleased, Jennifer agreed. They set up their first training session and first aid training the day they would arrive back to Atlantis.


	3. Chapter 3

Jennifer, eager to begin, entered the training room. Ronon was already setting up. Jennifer carted her bag over to the area he had set his stuff down at and called out to greet him.

Ronon, not wanting to show his excitement to spend more time with her, smiled and turned. Noticing she didn't shut the door behind her like she did before, he feared that the incident with Yardley may still haunt her on Atlantis.

He began their lesson by teaching her basic moves. Both knew that each move he taught her could have been useful the night she was assaulted by Yardley. Grateful he didn't bring it up, Jennifer appreciated how he showed her different moves to get the advantage if she was ever in the situation before.

It wasn't hard to notice that she avoided as much physical contact with him as possible. Frowning, he realized that he would have to find a way to regain her trust.

Afterward, Jennifer stretched herself while her body was still warm to avoid muscle cramping. Eager to begin her first repayment lesson of first aid to Ronon, she told him to sit down in front of her. Easing herself onto the floor, she asked him what typical wounds would he deal with off world.

Ronon thought. "Hmmm… stun guns, arrows, especially in Rodney's case, knife wounds, sprains, torn muscles… Lorne once cracked a rib on a mission."

Jennifer nodded. "Ok, let's start with the basic knife wound. If you have a first aid kit in your bag, which would be ideal, you want to get something out that looks like this." Jennifer held up a thick wad of gauze. "Pretend your leg is cut." She moved to straighten his leg. "The first thing is to find gauze or something else clean to press firmly to the wound to stop the flow of blood." After showing him how to wrap it afterward and how to elevate it, he practiced on himself.

Later on, as they exited the room, he stopped her. "Can we go somewhere and talk for a few minutes?"

Confused, she agreed and looked at her watch. "I'm not on shift for a few hours."

He nodded. "Good. I'll meet you in your room in 20." Turning before she could protest, he went to drop of his stuff and shower.

Jennifer, finding herself nervous to have him in her cramped space, showered quickly and began picking up her room out of nervous energy.

Ronon knocked loudly and she answered the door. He could tell she wanted to leave the door open, but was too embarrassed. Deliberately giving her space, he sat on her bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Ronon looked up at her without asking her to sit down. "You've changed," he said. Still confused, she continued looking at him. "The others may not see it, but I can sense that you have lost your trust in people since what happened."

He continued to talk. "Jen, you've got to realize that before he attacked you, no one on this base, especially me, has ever harmed you in that way. Trust is something you need to have if you're to continue going on missions and be a part of this team. Trust me," he said ironically. "I know this. When I first came here, it was the hardest thing for me to learn."

Sitting down and not denying his accusations, she nodded. "You're right," she said. "I hate getting stuck now in the elevators here when it's only me and another man. Even training today, I felt a little nervous."

He turned to her. "Do you trust me?" he said.

Nodding immediately, she noticed he didn't believe her. "Close your eyes." Her first instinct was to refuse, but she was too stubborn to admit she was scared. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

He began to speak slowly to her. "Do you feel like I'm going to hurt you?"

She answered truthfully. "No."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you would never do that," she answered. "Because of how you reacted after you found out about Yardley."

Satisfied, he held her hands. "Open your eyes. Now, can you name anyone here who would want to hurt you?  
Feeling embarrassed, she shook her head.

"Jen," he said. "It's going to take time, but you need to regain your trust again."

Understanding, she looked up at him. "I know. I guess I didn't realize how this could affect my work… and my friendships… with everyone."

She took a deep breath and took a chance. "Ronon," she said. "I have some snacks in here I smuggled back from Earth. How about you stay and watch a movie with me and skip lunch. And we'll leave the door closed."

Ronon grinned. "Food and a movie? How can I resist?"

She set up the movie and deliberately moved next to him on the bed. Opening a package of her favorite chocolate chip cookies from home and a package of beef jerky, they popped open two cans of Coke and enjoyed the movie.

A few days later, Jennifer felt herself settle back into her old self. Since her conversation with Ronon, she worked towards regaining her trust with the people around her.

One day, Major Lorne came into the infirmary. Shyly, he asked to see her in her office. Closing the door behind them, Jennifer praised herself on her progress. Then kidded herself that Lorne wouldn't hurt a fly in the first place.

"What's going on, major?" she asked.

His face turned red. "Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having dinner with me today. That is, if you're not busy."

Jennifer didn't expect that to come out of his mouth. Even though she clearly liked Major Lorne, she just didn't feel anything towards him other than genuine affection. She smiled, "I'm very flattered, major."

"Please, call me Evan," he interrupted. "Look, I know we don't know each other very well, but I would like to just talk over whatever they're feeding us today."

Jennifer blushed and decided to tell a little lie. "Well, I'm kind of seeing someone right now."

Lorne's face fell. "Oh. I should have guessed it," he worked up a smile and got up. "Ronon, right?"

Shocked, Jennifer looked up. Lorne smiled. "If there was a man you had to be dating, he's the only one I would be happy for you to be with. Ronon's a great guy. I'm just surprised he hasn't said anything. We've been training together a lot lately."

Jennifer nodded, deciding to let him believe what he wanted to. "Evan, thank you for asking me, though. You're the type of man a woman wants to be asked out by."

Smiling and opening the door, he grinned. "Thanks, doc. Let me know if any cute new nurses arrive from Earth."

"I will," she said. "And Evan… no one knows, so do you think you can keep this quiet?" That was the genuine truth. Yup, no one knew about her and Ronon. Especially Ronon himself.

He nodded. Watching him leave the infirmary, Jennifer made a quick decision and left her shift a few minutes early.

Ronon could tell she was distracted. He kept catching her off guard, which was not like her lately. Since they returned from Earth, she had become a focused student who soaked up everything he taught her. Today, though, something was on her mind.

Wanting to get her attention, he dodged her punch and caught her off guard, pushed her off balance and landed on top of her. Winded, she looked up at him.

"Ok, let's have it," he said. "What is going on?"

Jennifer paused to catch her breath. Surprised, she had a hard time stringing together a thought. He was literally laying on top of her, but at the same time thoughtfully rested most of his weight on his one leg that was laying next to hers. She was shocked to find herself distracted by his closeness. Confused, because she thought of Ronon as her best friend besides Teyla on Atlantis, she couldn't stop the feelings of attraction running through her body for the first time. Of course, she had always noticed he was the best looking man on Atlantis. Who hadn't?

Ronon continued to stare down at her. For a moment, he thought he saw naked attraction in her eyes. Almost convincing himself to make a move, to finally tell her how he felt about her, she opened her mouth.

"I…" she began, clearly not finding the words. "I lied today."

Confused, he rolled off of her and propped his head up with his arm, laying next to her. "You lied. About what? You've barely spoken a word to me in the past hour."

She shook her head and sat up Indian style. Turning her body to face him, she reddened.

"Something happened today," she began. "Not bad. But something I didn't want to happen. Major Lorne asked me on a date."

Ronon's face darkened, but he tried to hide it from her. "Don't even think to ask me chaperone."

Jennifer looked down at him, then realization dawned on her face. "No, no, nothing like that. It's just… I don't want to date anyone. I'm just not ready. And besides, I'm not interested in him. But I couldn't tell him the truth… about Yardley or the part about not being interested in him. He's too sweet."

Relieved, Ronon smiled. "So what did you lie about?"

Jennifer twisted her hair, which had come undone when he flipped her. "I kind of told him I was seeing you." She nervously got up to gather her stuff now that the truth was out. She pulled out the next medical training she was about to give him and glanced up at his reaction.

He had stood up to face her. "What?" he asked.

"Ok, don't be mad at me. I told him not to tell anyone, but it was the only thing I could think of!" Jennifer quickly said.

Ronon, not believing his opportunity, tried to think of something to say to her. _Yes, that's a great idea. In fact, Jennifer, there's something I need to tell you. I've been obsessed about you since you walked through that gate. Training with you without you knowing has been torture. _Or he could always just propose marriage and just be done with it.

Mentally beating himself up over being such a… what did Sheppard call him the last time he asked Ronon when he was going to make a move on the doctor… wuss, she beat him to it.

"Look," she began. "Does this bother you? Just for awhile, can you pretend to be interested in me if Lorne's around? Please?"

He lost his courage. Well, the courage he was about to muster up. She didn't feel the same way. She would have come out and asked him. Well, maybe. He wasn't sure. But either way, he decided not to bring it up.

Ronon shrugged. "No big deal. He barely sees us together anyways."

Smiling, Jennifer rushed to hug him. "Thank you. I just didn't want to hurt his feelings." Ronon nearly lost it as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Inches from her mouth, he smelled her sweet fragrance surrounding him. Awkwardly patting her on her back, she left his arms to set up her portion of their training.


	4. Chapter 4

Ronon was grumpy at dinner. Sheppard watched for a few minutes as the big man swirled the food around on his plate. Amazed that he wasn't eating, Sheppard decided to pull out whatever was bothering him.

"Ok, out with it. What's wrong with you?" Not beating around the bush, Sheppard just plunged forward.

Grunting, Ronon just muttered something about idiot women.

Liking where this was going, Sheppard prodded further. "I take it that you haven't gotten anywhere with the doctor?"

Ronon fumed. Deciding to vent, he told Sheppard about their conversation earlier today.

Not able to help it, Sheppard began laughing uncontrollably. Getting strange glances from tables across the room, he found himself crying he was laughing so hard. He sobered once he saw Ronon was about to tear his head off.

"Ok, ok," he calmed down. "Sorry, man. It's just too ironic. And what is wrong with you? Why didn't you say anything? It was a perfect opening."

Ronon shrugged. "I don't think she feels the same way. What's going to happen if she tells me she doesn't feel that way towards me? I know what she'll do… exactly what she did for Lorne… feel sorry for me."

Sheppard tried not to laugh again. The gears in his head began spinning. "I have a plan, my friend. And by the way, I think you're wrong about her feelings. But let's play it safe. I decided to have a movie night tonight. In my quarters. I'll spread the word to who I want to come. Just show up and be ready to put on a show. Around 2100."

Ronon, confused at Sheppard's wording of "putting on a show" shrugged and watched Sheppard leave the table.

Sheppard found everyone on his mental list to invite: Teyla, Dr. Keller, Ronon, and Major Lorne. He made sure they would arrive a little later than Ronon. Grinning when he heard Ronon enter his room without knocking, he told Ronon to help him push the bed and turn it around so that more people could sit on it while watching the TV. It would sit three and he set up two more chairs in the room.

Making Ronon take one side of the bed, he let the others in the room. As Sheppard predicted, both Teyla and Lorne each took a chair rather than sit next to Ronon on the bed since there was room. Jennifer, last to arrive, looked fresh from a hot shower and had put on a cotton running outfit. She looked a little tired, but was obviously excited to relax and watch a movie. Looking around the room, she said hi and then moved to the only available seat besides the floor- next to Ronon on the bed.

Suddenly noticing that Lorne was directly next to Ronon sitting a few feet away from the bed, she got nervous and remembered that he thought her and Ronon were dating. Inching closer to Ronon, she whispered "hi" while keeping her eyes lowered. Ronon, finally tuning in to Sheppard's plan, almost burst out laughing at his friend's antics to get him and Jennifer together. Sheppard, who had plenty of room on the remaining side of the bed, grinned over Jennifer's shoulder as Ronon caught on and began the movie.

Pretending to remember what she had asked him earlier, Ronon glanced at Jennifer and wrapped an arm around her. Mortified that Teyla was watching with interest, Jennifer had no choice put to rest her head on Ronon's shoulder and snuggled closer.

As the movie played, she relaxed more and began to enjoy the feeling of Ronon's closeness. _This was a bad idea, Jennifer,_ she thought. _Especially after when happened during our training session today._

By the end of the movie, Jennifer had moved her head to the top of Ronon's chest and was quietly breathing steady. Glancing down, and feeling his heart tug, Ronon discovered she was sleeping. As the credits rolled, the others stretched and thanked Sheppard for the movie. Teyla shot an amused glace over at Jennifer.

"Didn't make it, did she?" Teyla asked quietly. Lorne, for the first time, also noticed she was sleeping soundly with her arms around Ronon's body.

"You're a lucky man, Ronon," Lorne smiled.

Both left while Ronon shifted Jennifer into his arms and picked her off the bed. Turning to grin at Sheppard, he said "Remind me to thank you one day for this."

Sheppard laughed, happy to see his friend in a better mood. "Anytime."

Ronon carried her slowly to her room. Adjusting her weight to use a code to get into her room, her head dropped so that her mouth was grazing his neck. Sighing, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. He heard her say his name softly and felt her lips press against his throat. He almost dropped her from the shock. Heat spread across his body as he moved her towards her bed.

Laying her down on the bed on one side, he pulled the covers back on the other side so that he could cover her. Untying her shoes, he pulled them off of her and set them next to the bed. Pulling the covers around her, he found himself not wanting to leave. Brushing the stray strands off of her face, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. Sighing, he left her room and wondered if she would remember anything in the morning.

The next morning, Jennifer woke up very confused. _Oh my gosh, _she thought. _I must have feel asleep last night._ Embarrassed, she also vaguely remembered a dream she had, where Ronon had carried her off to bed and she couldn't resist kissing him.

_Wait a second,_ she thought. _How did I get back here?_

Frustrated that she couldn't remember, she glanced at her watch. She was going to be late for her shift in the infirmary. Running a brush through her hair, she quickly pulled on her uniform and practically ran the entire way there.

The day went by quickly. A few electronical accidents as a team explored places they were unfamiliar with trickled in. Rodney came in with a splitting headache after drinking too much the previous night. Jennifer snickered at that. Sheppard came in with a nasty cut above his eye after sparring with Ronon. Surprised not to see Ronon walk Sheppard down, as he usually did whenever Sheppard got injured, Jennifer went over to talk to him while the nurse stitched him.

"So did you get anything to land on Ronon?" Jennifer teased.

Sheppard grinned. "Doctor. I see that you're wide awake today," Jennifer blushed. "Nope, I never had landed anything on him yet. But it won't stop me from trying."

Jennifer laughed at him and moved on to her next patient.

After showering and throwing on her work out clothes, Jennifer found herself nervous to face Ronon today. She wasn't exactly sure what went on the previous night after she fell asleep. Deciding there was no use dwelling on it, she forced herself to open the door of the training room.

Inside, Ronon was practicing with a staff. He had already built up a healthy sweat. Jennifer almost drooled. _What was coming over me? _She asked herself while her eyes never left him. His muscles flexed with each movement as he continued his routine. Light headed, she sat down on the steps and tried not to disturb him.

Minutes later, Ronon noticed she was watching. "Hey," he said. "Why didn't you let me know you were here?" He wiped the sweat off of his body with the towel he had brought into the room.

Jennifer shrugged, pretending that she still had brain cells in her head.

Ronon beckoned her over and told her they would be covering balance today and how to use it to her advantage. He told her he was going to teach her how to send an opponent to the ground and possibly flip them over in the process.

Trying to relax, Jennifer laughed and told him she didn't believe she could do it. But as he began showing her how to get someone off balance, she began to believe she could do this. As amazed as interested as she was, though, Jennifer couldn't help feeling more attraction to him as his voice instructed her what to do and as Ronon's hands kept correcting her stance or position.

Ronon smiled as he noticed her nervousness. It wasn't fear, which he would have hated, but she was obviously nervous about their closeness. Trying to not get his hopes up, his confidence soared as he felt her hands shake slightly when he demonstrated the next move.

Jennifer, knowing she was a wreck, was glad when he told her that was it for today. Happy to be far away from him, she set up her medical instruments to teach Ronon how to help someone who broke their ribs in the field. Cursing herself knowing that they would have to practice on someone, she quickly decided to have him lay down and tried her best to give a medical lecture on how to wrap the rib cage.

Watching her above him, Ronon wasn't listening to a thing. Her hands kept winding around him and he kept thinking about her kiss on his neck last night. Noticing she was looking at him strangely, he quickly tuned back in.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"I asked if you had any questions," Jennifer reprimanded.

"Nope, that was a good lesson." Ronon grinned.

Jennifer moved quickly to pack up her stuff, irritated she had made a fool out of herself today.

"Hey Jen," Ronon said. "Sheppard invited us to play a game in the mess hall tonight. It will be kind of late, though, for you. I wouldn't want you to fall asleep again." He grinned mischievously, reminding her about the previous night.

Lifting her head confidently, she answered the challenge. "I'll be there. What time?"

Ronon told her and she practically ran out of the room. For a few minutes afterward, he couldn't help laughing at his good luck and promises that something may actually come out of this charade.

Sheppard pulled a game called "Imagine If" out of his bag. He lined up five chairs but used the fifth chair as a table for the board of the game. Sneaking the extra chairs out of the room before everyone arrived, he began setting up the game.

Everyone arrived who came to the previous movie night, except that Jennifer arrived late from an emergency in the infirmary. Assuring everyone that the person hurt was OK, she searched for a place to sit.

Lorne, seeing her dilemma, quickly offered his chair.

Ronon, two steps ahead of him, pulled on Jennifer's hand as she fell into his lap. "Nope, she can sit here."

Jennifer, turning red, sank against Ronon's body as the game began. Everyone kept laughing as they read the cards and each voted on what each other thought. Ronon, in the meantime, did everything possible to tease Jennifer while she sat rigidly in his lap. He kept his arm snug around her waist the entire night. The only time it left its place was to fiddle with her hair or pull her closer to his body. Once, when everyone was laughing at something Sheppard said, he leaned against her bare arm and kissed it lightly. Almost jumping out of his lap, she wiggled uncomfortably and tried to pretend it never happened.

A few hours later, Teyla was able to get her colored game piece into the winning position. Congratulating her, everyone began to help pack up the game and move the chairs back.

Afterward, Ronon and Jennifer walked ahead of Teyla, Sheppard, and Lorne to her room. Knowing they were watching, he mischievously caught her hand. Pulling her close, he quickly kissed her lips and murmured good night to her. Under his breath before he released her, he asked "how am I doing?"

Confused, Jennifer looked up. Then understanding, she muttered something unintelligible and let herself into her room. Laughing, Ronon retreated to his own room.

Two days later, Jennifer arrived to their training session. They had put it off until later during the day because of a few doctors needing to trade shift times. Feeling better after showering, she began stretching and waited for Ronon to arrive. Today she wore shorts to practice in, the kind that bicyclists wore, and a old t-shirt from college.

She hadn't seen him much since the night they played the game with their friends, but Jennifer couldn't get her mind off of how she felt towards him that night. She was seriously developing a major attraction to him. Jennifer doubted it was the same for him. She knew he was only acting that way while they were in front of Lorne.

The doors opened and Ronon came through. Her heart skipped a beat in excitement. _Crap,_ she thought. _I'm hopelessly screwed._

Ronon said hi to her and sat down next to her to stretch. Talking about their day, they each exchanged a story or two about what happened and ended up laughing for the first 20 minutes of their session.

Standing, Ronon got down to business and went over a lot of the stuff they had already learned. He called it a review session, and she joked that she loved those in college. It was easy and you didn't have to stress about learning something new.

Once it was her turn, she pulled up her medical bag and grabbed the long flesh colored bandage. "Ok, today we're going to practice wrapped up an injury to the knee. Pretend like Sheppard was kicked during a fight and it caused his knee to bend the way it wasn't intended on bending."

Wincing, Ronon nodded. "Been there, done that."

Jennifer sat down with her legs in front of her. Deciding to use herself as the dummy, she demonstrated how to wrap the leg tight enough and then use the silver clamps to secure it. Then, undoing it, she gave the materials to Ronon and told him to try it.

Ronon, untangling the bandage and trying to find the end, began winding it once around her leg. Lightly brushing her smooth leg, she felt his hand tickling her skin and almost began laughing. Trying to contain herself, she gritted her teeth when Ronon's hand slipped and the bandage unraveled. Frustrated, he began again but this time tried to hold it in place. His hand must have brushed across the most ticklish part of her body and she jerked sideways and began laughing.

Startled, Ronon wondered what was happening. Laughing, she told him to stop and that it was tickling her. Grinning, he lightly wiggled his fingers behind her knee. She jumped and twisted around, landing a solid kick across his mouth with her foot in the process.

Gasping, she struggled to get up and found Ronon laying dazed on the floor, looking up at her. Laughter began to bubble inside her. "Ronon…" she began, snickering. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

Helping him sit up, she sat straddling his one thigh and checked his mouth for blood. Satisfied that she didn't find any, Jennifer found the tender spot that was beginning to swell. Leaning over, she planted a soft kiss on the injury.

Ronon, not believing what was happening, looked into her eyes. "Jen?"

She looked up.

"If you do that again and I get hurt, do I get another kiss?" Ronon asked, smiling.

Jennifer's face exploded in a grin. Happy that he honestly wanted to kiss her, and not for the benefit of anyone watching, she pulled his mouth towards him and kissed him softly again. Ronon, taking advantage of his good fortune, wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

Sighing, Jennifer lifted her head. He was now cradling her in his arms. "When did this happen?" she asked.

Ronon grinned. "For me, months ago. You've been driving me crazy."

She laughed. "I need to thank Lorne for his help, then, huh?"

Shaking his head, Ronon said, "Sheppard had a hand in it, too" and explained how he told Sheppard about her lie and how Sheppard arranged for them to be by Lorne to get things moving faster.

Embarrassed but grateful, Jennifer stood up and walked hand in hand out of the room with Ronon. "Let's go get you some ice… so I can brag about how I finally landed one on you."

Ronon grinned, picked her up in his arms, and carried her through the door.


End file.
